Overdose Prevention Sites (OPSs) (commonly known as Safe Injection Facilities) are well-lit hygienic spaces where persons who use drugs can do so under medical supervision and have access to a range of treatment services in order to reduce drug related harms, including overdose death. In addition to preventing fatal overdoses, persons who utilize OPS services have demonstrated reductions in public drug consumption, syringe sharing, and higher uptake in addiction treatment. After the City of Philadelphia publicly announced the support of OPSs, city officials, local nonprofits, and community organizers founded Safehouse as a nonprofit entity to run the site(s) with the mission to save lives and provide a wide range of overdose prevention services. Despite thoughtful design, city support, and an unprecedented need in Philadelphia, the Justice Department sued Safehouse, arguing that the opening of such a site would violate federal law. As U.S. v. Safehouse unfolds, this presentation will walk participants through Philadelphia’s story, and shed light on the primary issues and considerations that have hindered or helped the case to open what could be the nation’s first OPS.

Philadelphia has been hard hit with the Opioid crisis, with a total of 1,116 related overdose deaths in 2018. Overdose Prevention Sites (OPSs) (commonly known as Safe Injection Facilities) are one part of a comprehensive harm reduction approach to the problem. OPSs are hygienic spaces where persons who use drugs can do so under medical supervision and have access to a range of treatment services in order to reduce drug related harms, including overdose death. In addition to preventing fatal overdoses, persons who utilize OPS services have demonstrated reductions in public drug consumption, syringe sharing, and higher uptake in addiction treatment. This presentation will describe an overview of the problem in Philadelphia, the need for the nation’s first OPS, and the importance of building trusted relationships in the process.